Ice crusher



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July 14, 1936- .P. c. KLINGLER ICE CRUSHER Filed June 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. I

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Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE CRUSHER Paul C. Klingler, Riverside, N. J.

Application June 20, 1934, Serial No. 731,494

6 Claims. (01. 8 3'-63) This invention relates to manually operable devices for crushing ice cubes, such as are produced in automatic domestic refrigerators, for use in cooling or chilling beverages, fruits, etc. More particularly, the present invention has reference to ice crushers of the type featured in U. S. Patent No. 1,930,056 granted to me on October 10, 1933, wherein two component toothed jaw members jointly form a tapered holder for the 10 ice cubes, and wherein one jaw member is reciprocated longitudinally of, and at the same time moved toward and away from the other member to crush the cubes and to advance the broken ice particles toward the discharge end of the device. 'In the main, my present invention is directed toward structural improvements in connection with ice crushers of the type referred to which will enable the crushing and. discharge of the broken ice to be accomplished more'effectively, more rapidly, and with'greater ease than hereto fore. This desiderata I attain, as hereinafter I more fully disclosed,throughprovision' of teeth on the movable jaw member which decrease-in size toward the discharge end of thedevice and v which lie at right angles to teeth on the fixed jaw member; and through provision of automatically operative means to strip the crushed ice from the teeth of said movable jaw member.

My present invention is further directed toward securing the advantages of lightness and manufacturing economy attendant upon the fabrication of ice crushers of the indicated sort from sheet metal. Y Other objects and advantages of this invention will be manifest from the followingdetailed' description taken with the drawings; wherein, Fig. I is a perspective view of my improved ice cube crusher.

Fig. II is a plan view of the crusher. 40 Fig. III is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

r Fig. IV is a view corresponding to Fig. III showing. how the crusher is operated to break upthe icecubes. w 45, Fig. V is a fragmentary view'of the inside'of one of the jaw components of the crusher. 1

Fig. VI is a face view of a movable jaw member hereinafter described in detail; and Fig. VII is a side view-of the same. 50 As herein depicted, my improved ice cube crusher comprises a stationary jaw member 5, and a relatively movable jaw member 6 which are individually fashioned from sheet metal, and which jointly form an open-ended tapered holder 55v into the hollow of which; the ice cubes C are placed from the top or large end, see Fig. III. As shown, the jaw member 5 is of channel cross section, having a straight back 1 with inwardly projecting, punched-out staggeringly-arranged pointed crosswise ice crushing saw-like teeth 8, 5 and plain side flange portions 9 that taper in width downwardly from the top of the holder. Permanently attached to the jaw member 5 is an upwardly projecting die-stamped handle 10' whereof the lower portion is offset and widened as 10 at H, with formation of a shoulder which bears firmly on the top edge I2 of the back I of said jaw member. The handle I0 is in this instance fastened by means of rivets, although if found desirable or convenient, it may be secured by welding or otherwise.

The movable jaw member 6 is likewise of channel section, having a flat back l4, and comparatively narrow inwardly-projecting flanges I5 and I6 respectively along its top and side edges. As 20 shown in Fig. II, the movable jaw member 6 operates in the interval between the side portions 9 or" the stationary jaw member 5 and constitutes the fourth wall of the holder.

' Engaging through the side flanges I 6 of the 25 movable jaw member 6 at the lower end of the crusher, is a transverse rod I! which aifords pivotal connection for a pair of toggle links l8. These toggle links l8 are in turn pivotally connected to another transverse rod l9 whereof the 30 ends, after being passed through the side portions 9 of the jaw member 5, are formed with retaining heads 20, see Figs. I and II. Themovable jaw member 6 is actuated by means including a handle 2|, which, like the handle I0, is in 35 the form of a die stamping'of sheet metal. As shown, the handle 2| is formed at its lower widened ends with side ears 23 which are connected, by means of fulcrum rivets 24, to the side portions 9 of the jaw member 5 near the top 40 of the holder. A pair of vertical draw links 25 are pivotally connected at their lower ends to theprojecting ends of a transverse rod 26' on the movable jaw member 6 somewhat above the rod I! previously mentioned. The upper ends of the draw links 25 are brought into closer parallelism to each other as shown in Fig. I, and enter spaced slots 2'! in the lower part 22 of the handle 2| where they engage a pivot rod 28 secured transversely in said handle at a distance out: ward of the fulcrum axis 24 of the latter. From Figs. III and IV it will be noted that a part of the metal of the handle 2| is turned upward about the pivot rod 28 to form a pressure plate, 29-to coact with the top edge of the movable jaw member 6 in a manner later on explained. Movement of the handle 2| is resisted by a helical tension spring 30 which is connected at its lower end to the fulcrum rod IQ for the toggle links I6, and which, at its upper end, is connected to a punched out hook 3| at the back of the movable jaw member 6 after being passed around a roller 32 free on an axis pin 33 extending crosswise of the narrow interval between the upper ends of the draw links 25. Normally, the spring 30 acts to maintain the parts in the positions illustrated in Fig. III with the movable jaw member 6 retracted in respect to the stationary jaw member 5, and with the back M of said movable jaw member resting against the fulcrum rod |9 which latter acts as a stop to limit the outward movement of said movable jaw and, in turn, that of the handle 2|.

Permanently secured in spaced relation to the inner face of the movable jaw member 6 are a pair of channel section strips 35 which have their side flanges V-notched to provide parallel longitudinal rows of sharp inwardly-projecting vertical sawlike teeth 36, said teeth gradually decreasing in size toward the bottom end of the crusher.

To facilitate discharge of the cracked ice from the holder, the movable jaw member 6 is provided with a rigid stripper plate 31 which is longitudinally slotted as at 38 to clear the teeth 36. The stripper plate 31 is pressed away from the movable jaw member 6 by leaf springs 39 attached thereto centrally by rivets 40, said stripper plate being retained in the assembly by oppositely directed hook projections 4| and 42 of the uppermost and lowermost crushing teeth 36 of the outer rows. Normally, the stripper plate 31 occupies a somewhat inclined position (see Fig. III) relative to the movable jaw member 6 beyond the points of the teeth 36, so that the latter cannot interfere with the insertion of the cubes C into the holder, nor with gravitation of the crushed ice toward the discharge end of the crusher.

The operation of the crusher is as follows: After placement of the ice cubes C into the holder of the device as shown in Fig. III, the handles I0 and 2| are grasped in one hand, and pressed. As the handle 2| swings about the fulcrum rivets 24, it draws upon the links 25, thereby causing the movable jaw member 6 to be moved relative to the stationary jaw member 5. Through the instrumentality of the toggle links I8, the jaw member 6 is lifted and its lower end at the same time moved inward toward the jaw member 5. As the action continues, the pressure plate 29 of the actuating handle 2| eventually engages the top edge of the movable jaw member 6 and moves the upper end of said member inward. The movable jaw member 6 is thus given a compound movement with the result that the ice cubes C are fractured by cooperative action between the sharp saw-like teeth 8 and 36, the breaking and crushing of the ice being facilitated by virtue of the right angle relation between said teeth. At the end of the crushing movement, the parts occupy the positions shown in Fig. IV. Then, upon release of the pressure on the handles l0 and 2|, the spring 36 immediately operates to retract the movable jaw member 6 relative to the jaw member 5 to the normal position shown in Fig. III. Concurrently with this action, the leaf springs 39 push the stripper plate 31 away from the jaw member 6 thereby stripping the broken ice from the teeth 36 and presenting a smooth surface which will allow free gravitation of the crushed particles toward the delivery end of the holder. The described operation is repeated as often as required until the broken ice is all discharged from the crusher. Due to graduation of the teeth 36 downwardly of the crusher, the ice is broken up progressively into uniform small pieces. The crushing is thus accomplished rapidly with a minimum of effort and without excessive strain on the parts.

The construction of my improved ice crusher from sheet metal is obviously advantageous in that it favors more economic manufacture and results in an article of better finish and appearance as compared with ice crushers made as heretofore from cast parts.

I do not intend to be limited to the use of a single stripper plate 31 since, if desired or found expedient in practice, the stationary jaw member 5 may be similarly provided with one, without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the broader of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an ice crusher, a pair of jaw members jointly forming an open ended tapered holder to receive the ice, said jaw members having multiples of opposing inwardly-projecting saw-like teeth; actuating means for inclinedly moving one of the jaw members bodily toward the other to crush the ice cubes; and a spring-pressed stripper plate carried by one of the jaw members and having openings to clear the teeth of such jaw member, said plate being normally held by terminal teeth of the associated jaw member somewhat beyond the points of said teeth and automatically operative to strip the crushed ice from the teeth, and providing a smooth surface upon opening of the jaw members, for free gravitation of the crushed ice toward the discharge end of the holder.

2. In an ice crusher, a stationary jaw member fashioned to channel-section from sheet metal, said jaw member having an upward grasp handle, and a multiplicity of transverse rows of punched-out saw-like teeth distributed over the area of its back and projecting inwardly therefrom; a movable jaw member jointly forming with said fixed jaw member, an open-ended tapered holder to receive the ice, said movable jaw member being likewise fashioned to channelsection from sheet metal and being operative in the interval between the side portions of the fixed jaw member; a number of laterally-spaced longitudinally-arranged channel section strips permanently attached to the inner face of the movable jaw member and having their side flanges V notched to provide sharp vertical crushing teeth to oppose the transverse teeth of the stationary jaw member; a spring-influenced longitudinally-slotted rigid stripper plate carried by the movable jaw member and normally retained somewhat inclined relative to and beyond the points of the teeth on said member; an actuating handle of sheet metal fulcrumed to the side portions of the stationary jaw member at the top of the holder; and interposed connections whereby the movable jaw member is reciprocated longitudinally of and at the same time moved toward and away from the stationary jaw member to crush the ice.

3. In an ice crusher, a stationary jaw member fashioned to channel-section from sheet metal, said jaw member having an upward grasp handle, and a multiplicity of transverse rows of punched-out saw-like teeth distributed over its back and projecting inwardly therefrom; a movable jaw member jointly forming with the fixed jaw member, an open-ended tapered holder to receive the ice; a number of laterally-spaced longitudinally-extending channel-section strips permanently attached to the inner face of the movable jaw member having their side flanges V-notched with provision of inwardly-projecting vertical teeth decreasing in size toward the smaller end of the crusher; an actuating handle fashioned from sheet metal and fulcrumed to the side portions of the stationary jaw member at the larger end of the crusher; interposed operating connections whereby the movable jaw member is reciprocated longitudinally of the stationary jaw member and at the same time moved toward and away from the latter to crush the ice; and a spring-pressed rigid stripper plate carried by the movable jaw member and having openings to clear the teeth on the latter, said stripper plate being retained in the assembly by diagonally opposed hook projections of the uppermost and lowermost crushing teeth of the outer rows thereof and operative, upon retraction of the movable jaw members, to strip the crushed ice from said teeth, and to provide a smooth surface for free gravitation of the crushed ice toward the discharge end of the crusher.

4. In an ice crusher, a sheet-metal jaw member of channel cross-section embodying comthereof, and a plurality of spaced channel-section strips permanently secured lengthwise between the jaw member side flanges, each said strip having its side flanges V-notched to provide parallel rows of saw-like teeth gradually decreasing in size from the flanged end of the jaw member, and the diagonally-opposing teeth of the outermost rows embodying outwardly-directed hook projections.

6. In an ice crusher, a jaw member of channel cross-section embodying flanges along the sides and one end thereof, a plurality of spaced strips lengthwise between the jaw member side flanges, each said strip being V-notched to provide parallel rows of saw-like teeth gradually decreasing in size from the flanged end of the jaw member, and the diagonally-opposing teeth of hook projections.

PAUL C. KLINGLER. 

